Book I, Part II - Desolation in the World: Chapters 77 - 78 Summary

The Cellar is ready for action but the music has not started. Kerouac knows no one in the bar, which is unusual, so he steps out to wait on the sidewalk. Two friends approach from different directions and the three go to another bar to discuss poetry and death. Eventually, the men head back to the Cellar for some jazz. The author delights in describing the musicians, particularly the trumpet player whom Kerouac says "has a face like everybody you've ever known and seen on the street in your generation". People dance and mingle, moving from person to person while the drums beat. One girl, Gia, enters the room and recognizes Kerouac as a friend of Irwin's. The girl, who is the daughter...